


you make love mean more than just a beginning

by dracometria



Series: sookai tennis boyfriends [1]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Tennis, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, OT5 on varsity tennis team together, One-Sided Rivalry, Shy Huening Kai, Whipped Choi Soobin, just a little, soft, sookai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24056359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracometria/pseuds/dracometria
Summary: Kai shows Soobin the meaning of love in nothings, beginnings, and everything.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Huening Kai
Series: sookai tennis boyfriends [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1735480
Comments: 15
Kudos: 145





	you make love mean more than just a beginning

**Author's Note:**

> i just wanted to write a drabble on sookai tennis boyfriends and it got so long....maybe i'll make a series (not all related fics) out of it bc i really like tennis (and this fic...i think one of my favorites that i've written ;___; ) 
> 
> high school au, yeonbin are seniors and taegyuning are juniors
> 
> basic terminology that may help you understand some of this fic (though it should be easily understandable for the most part)  
>   
> love means a score of zero in tennis, all games start love-love / love-all  
> doubles - like it sounds, when two tennis players pair up together to play  
> in this high school tennis au, each match between schools contain six singles and three doubles (nine total points)  
> challenge match - played to judge skill and to move up ranks (a rank 4 challenges a rank 3 and wins, the previous rank 4 is now rank 3)  
> Roger Federer - a tennis god (im love him)

Soobin hates him.

Well, hate is a strong word for the twisting feeling in his stomach when he sees Sanctuary’s number four walk onto the court. It’s a strong word for how he feels when Huening spins his racket around his lithe fingers—a Babolat Pure Drive, whatever the newest version was on the market for that year. It’s a strong word for the feeling he has when he shakes Huening’s hand across the net, for the feeling he has when their eyes meet and Huening smiles at him, his own lips inadvertently curling up as well. 

It’s a strong word for how Soobin feels when Huening takes off his hat during their break in between sets to run a hand through his messy hair, damp from sweat. 

It’s a strong word for how Soobin feels when Huening goes for another one of his customary one-handed backhands, hitting the ball with a deep slice and with the most elegant form Soobin has ever seen (he misses the return on that one). 

It’s a strong word for how Soobin feels to see his rival gain 20 centimeters over the years, swallowing up the height difference between them, like he had a personal front row seat in seeing Huening grow and develop and destroy the only advantage Soobin ever had.

It’s a strong word for how Soobin feels even when he loses again, how he feels when Huening is graceful and sportsmanlike and everything Soobin isn’t in that moment.

So maybe he doesn’t actually hate Huening, but it’s the easiest word to use for now. It’s his last season this year, and if the standings sit pretty as they always have—Arcadia at number one and Sanctuary at second—then they will go to nationals again with an advantage; and they’ll win this time, it’ll be Arcadia’s name on the trophy.

* * *

The rumors start at the beginning of summer. Yeonjun calls him on the phone, breathless from excitement as he explains that he heard from Taehyun that Huening is planning to transfer to Arcadia High. The two are close friends from having attended the same elementary and middle school together, so it’s fairly reliable information. Huening, when he’s not being Soobin’s nemesis on the singles court, is a much more formidable doubles player. Arcadia’s weakness is their lack of a flagship doubles team, which was why they were constantly changing their doubles lineups. This meant that they sometimes had the element of surprise, but it also meant that their number one doubles slot was a lot weaker. 

While Soobin has won a few times against Huening on the singles court, he has never managed to win a doubles set from him and his partner Hyeongjun. Sanctuary’s number one duo is undefeated. 

_Until this season,_ Soobin muses, because there’s no way they’d be able to find another doubles player like Huening. There’s no way. 

It’s Taehyun who suggests practicing with Huening early, even though he’s not officially on the team yet.

Taehyun is right—Huening is good for them, good for their team, and even Soobin gets swept up in their frenzy to celebrate, forgetting that he “hates” Huening for a moment as he invites him out for dinner with them. 

“We’re just going to Burger King,” Soobin says, picking up Huening’s bag and slinging it over his other shoulder so he doesn’t have the chance to say no. Off the court, Huening is a lot shyer than he thought, and somehow this makes him endearing. “Come on, you’ll have to get used to the team anyway.” Soobin smiles, bright and easy, and the way Huening’s face lights up is truly breathtaking. 

“Okay, Soobin-ssi.” 

* * *

Of course, the team jokes about Soobin and Huening’s rivalry. Soobin is normally an easygoing person, but there’s something about losing to the same person over and over again that drives him up the wall. So it’s not surprising that he’d created a narrative in his head that Huening promptly shatters the first time they go out together as the unofficial team. 

“So who’s your favorite player?” Yeonjun asks, grinning because of course most people picked him. It’s no surprise, because Choi Yeonjun is awe-inspiring. He already has fans who say he’ll be on the national team younger than any other player, maybe even during university. Choi Yeonjun is in a different league than the rest of them, but he’s still humble, he’s still hardworking. He’s still the Yeonjun who stays late after practice, because all that talent and showboating is only reinforced by his love for tennis and his willingness to put in five times, ten times more effort than everyone else. 

Huening blushes pink, and Soobin thinks offhandedly that it’s a good color on him, that it looks good on his sun-kissed skin. 

“Don’t mind him,” Soobin says, snapping himself out of his thoughts. “He’s always like that. You don’t have to answer.” 

“You’re no fun.” Yeonjun sticks out his tongue at him, and Soobin rolls his eyes. 

Huening mumbles something under his breath, and Taehyun asks him to repeat himself. 

“It’s Soobin-ssi. I want to play doubles with him.” 

The table goes silent for a brief moment before it abruptly explodes. Yeonjun slings an arm around Kai, smiling slyly, and Taehyun smirks at Soobin.

“You’re nothing, Choi Yeonjun,” Doyoon jokes, and the rest of the table cackle. Soobin has to shush everyone before they risk getting kicked out of a _Burger King._

“What a plot twist,” Beomgyu remarks, and Soobin doesn’t have to check a mirror to know that his ears are burning red, hoping that his hair at least covers most of it. 

“I’m looking forward to it, Huening,” Soobin manages to say after everyone quiets down, and he’s not even lying. He maybe even hates him a little less now. 

Huening just ducks his head in acknowledgement, almost hiding behind Taehyun. 

Like Soobin said, surprisingly shy.

* * *

It’s like they were made for each other. 

Soobin doesn’t know if it’s because of their years of familiarizing with each other’s style of play, but they complement each other perfectly. They completely dominate the net with their reach and power, and with Kai’s versatility, Soobin’s able to easily control the ball when he’s at the baseline. And when Kai’s the one playing at the back, Soobin starts to see the unpredictability that he’s famous for, he sees how it forces Beomgyu and Taehyun to feed him easy balls at the net, which he smashes deep into the court, impossible to return. 

“Holy fuck,” Yeonjun says when the set finishes 6-0, Soobin and Huening’s favor. He grins widely. “Think we found our doubles.” 

“Too early,” Soobin says, although he feels elated as he towels down. “We need to pair him up with everyone else first.” But he _knows,_ call it captain’s intuition, or maybe just a result from knowing his team members’ playstyles. Huening will be his.

And by the end of the practice, it’s confirmed. 

* * *

The challenge match results are much harder to stomach. Kai is apologetic when they shake hands at the net. Soobin loses again. Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Taehyun finish first, second, and third respectively, which is exactly how they were placed before. Soobin moves down with Doyoon to accommodate Huening as number four. 

It’s not a pride thing, Soobin thinks, fingers clenching and unclenching as he zones out. It’s about not being good enough.

“Hey.” Yeonjun nudges him as they observe Huening’s exhibition match against Taehyun. They’re just playing to warm up now. “You okay?” 

“I will be,” Soobin says, because he finds that holding onto anger and disappointment is unhealthy. He hesitates, then says, “He feels like a wall sometimes, you know?” 

Yeonjun hums, chin in his hand. “He knows you better than you know him.” 

Soobin startles. “Huh?” 

“You’re stronger as a doubles player, you know that,” Yeonjun says seriously, but the way he pinches his cheek is anything but. “Stronger than any of us, except maybe Ning. But he _knows_ you. I bet he’s studied you before. He knows all of your flaws, all of your weaknesses, and your strengths too. Better than any of us, even.” Yeonjun flicks him on the forehead. “He stares at you when you’re not looking.” 

Soobin ducks his head. “Does not.” 

Yeonjun laughs. “Okay, Soobinie. And I’ll pretend I haven’t seen you checking him out for the last three years either.” 

“Hyung!” Soobin hisses, pushing the older away and standing up with a huff. His cheeks are red, it’s because of the heat, he tells himself. He looks over at Huening again, just in time to see that beautiful fucking backhand again, and really he could give Federer a run for his money, arms spread like wings for the follow-through. 

It’s a winning shot, that backhand always is. Huening returns back to the baseline to serve, and their eyes meet at that moment.

Huening pauses before shooting a tiny smile and a wave in his direction. 

He misses his first serve, sinks the ball right into the net. His cheeks immediately redden, and he tugs the bill of his hat, a habit that Soobin is far too used to seeing.

_Cute._

(He doesn’t hate him, not like this.)

* * *

School is starting soon, so they make the most of practice while they don’t have to worry about homework. Coach Bang, like every year, makes them go to an excruciating summer training camp. Soobin doesn’t even feel human by the last day. 

“I hate him,” Soobin groans as he flops in the grass, “I really do.” 

“Shut up.” Beomgyu laughs. “We love him, he’s awesome,” he explains needlessly to Huening. The younger laughs too. 

“I’ve never been to any camp as brutal as this one.” 

“Yeah, well there’s a reason why Sanctuary never beat us.” 

“Hyung,” Huening whines, and Beomgyu laughs again as he tousles the younger’s sweat-damp hair. 

Soobin smiles to himself. Coach Bang is as transparent as can be—even though he makes sure to never say the actual words out loud, it’s obvious the camp is for team building as much as it is for conditioning.

“What ice cream do you want?” Taehyun asks. “Doyoon-hyung is asking.” 

“Wait, let me go with you,” Beomgyu says. “He always forgets mine. Where’s Yeonjun-hyung?” 

“In the pool I think,” Soobin says, remembering the older saying something about cooling off. “Just get our regulars. Huening?” 

“I know what he wants,” Taehyun says. “We’ll be back soon.” Soobin blinks when he hears Beomgyu giggle as they leave. _They’re up to something, aren’t they?_

It’s quiet, so Soobin sort of forgets Huening is even there until he says, “Soobin-hyung?” 

“Hmm?”

He can hear Huening roll over until he’s presumably on his stomach. 

“Why do you still call me Huening?” the younger finally says after a heavy pause. 

“...Did you want me to call you something else?” Soobin asks, reaching over to pat where he thinks Huening’s head is. They’re at least close enough for him to do that, now. Huening’s hair feels sticky, but he doesn’t move away. 

“Not if you’re uncomfortable with it,” he says quickly. “It just feels weird since we’ve known each other for a couple of months...” 

“Sorry.” Soobin chuckles as he sits up. “It’s what I’ve called you in my head for the past three years, so I just say it out of habit now.” 

“Oh,” Huening squeaks. 

_He’s so cute._ Soobin smiles fondly. “How about Hueningie? Or Kai, if you prefer.” 

“Either is fine,” the younger murmurs, and when he looks up to meet Soobin’s gaze, even though it’s dark outside, Soobin can see the stars reflected in his eyes, shining and brilliant. 

Hate has never been the correct word to begin with, but admiration doesn’t quite cut it either. Soobin thinks admiration is a rather flimsy word for the way he feels right now, his attention focused on Huening—Kai’s details, the long sweep of his eyelashes, the constellation of freckles rivaling the night sky, the cupid’s bow of his pretty mouth.

“Soobin-hyung,” Kai says quietly.

“Hmm?” 

Kai looks at him intensely, brows furrowed and lips slightly parted. Soobin’s never been stared at for so long, has never stared back for that long either, but it doesn’t feel awkward. Maybe a little bit tense, but it’s not the same tension they used to share on the courts.

Kai finally looks away. “Nevermind.”

“Okay, Hueningie,” Soobin teases, reaching out to push Kai’s bangs out of his face. His heart maybe beats a little faster when Kai leans into his hand, just the tiniest bit. “What’s your favorite ice cream anyway?” 

“Mint chocolate.”

“Ew, how, you’re just like Yeonjun-hyung.”

“Most people would say that’s a good thing…”

“Listen, Hueningie, you should only follow Yeonjun-hyung in tennis. Don’t copy any other of his life choices, they’re terrible.” 

Kai giggles, and Soobin doesn’t realize how close they’ve gravitated towards each other until Beomgyu announces that they’re back and their heads collide when they turn at the same time.

“I don’t understand how you two can be so clumsy,” Taehyun says amusedly. 

“Must be a tall person thing,” Kai fires back, yelping when Taehyun puts him a loose headlock. 

“Soobin-hyung, help!” 

Soobin rubs the sore spot on his head. “For personal safety, I’m sitting this one out. Sorry, Kai.”

Doyoon’s eyes glint in understanding, but Beomgyu opens his big mouth anyway. “Since when did you start calling him Kai?”

“Since now. Now give me the ice cream, captain's orders.”

* * *

Soobin thinks it’s a good idea at first when he sits next to Kai on the bus for the trip home. He still thinks it’s a good idea when he ends up sharing his earbuds with Kai because all the younger bought was his headphones which were ill-suited for a long bus ride. Even when he accidentally places his hand down on the seat, too close to Kai’s and their fingers end up brushing together, he thinks it’s a good idea, because Kai is a quiet seatmate unlike _some_ people (Beomgyu). 

(Also, Kai shifts but doesn’t completely pull his hand away, curling their pinkies together innocently. Soobin refuses to read too deeply into it.)

It’s in all honesty a good idea all the way up until he falls asleep, because he forgets that his team is full of _children._

He’s suspicious of the giggling he hears when he wakes up, his head pillowed against Kai’s sometime during the bus ride (he tries not to blush when he feels their pinkies still entwined). He yawns, Bebe Rexha still crooning in his right ear, and notes that they’re not far from their destination since he recognizes the streets they’re passing. He forgets about the potential mischief his team members may be up to when Kai’s head falls softly against his shoulder, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position for the younger. He must be a heavy sleeper. 

“ _Psst._ Soobin, check the group chat.” 

“Soobin- _hyung_ ,” he says without any heat, but he squints at the harsh blue light of his phone screen. He closes the photo faster than he opens it—it’s truly overdone, with an excessive amount of both Snow stickers and messily drawn hearts. He turns back to glare at Yeonjun and Beomgyu. 

“You are _dead_ when we get off this bus,” he threatens lowly. 

“You’re welcome.” Yeonjun snickers when Beomgyu pretends to shoot love arrows at Soobin, and he’s about to throw something at them when Kai unconsciously clings closer, head resting solidly on the crook of Soobin’s shoulder now. 

Soobin decides the fratricide can wait a little longer.

(He downloads the picture of them asleep together still, against his better judgment. It is unfortunately, very cute.) 

* * *

The thing is, being on the court with Kai is addicting. Yes, he likes winning, yes, he likes the feeling of being undefeated, but mostly he likes the way they tap rackets when they score a good point, the way Kai will grin widely after he slams a winner down the court because of Soobin’s setup, the way they work together to strategize for their opponents, the way Kai just _trusts_ him, and the way Kai solves the doubles equation for Soobin where one plus one equals five or six or seven, but Soobin prefers _infinity,_ because that’s how Kai makes him feel, if that makes sense.

It doesn’t make any sense, but Soobin is also crushing on Kai big-time, a fact he has readily admitted to no one, but everyone knows anyway, which means that his teammates are irritating at best and constantly trying to blow his cover. 

Currently, they’re knocking out their homework together, although most of them are too keyed up on the fact that their first match was going to be tomorrow, and against Sanctuary no less. If they win it, if they win it _hard,_ it’d set the pace for the whole season. 

“I can’t do this anymore,” Yeonjun says loudly, dropping his pencil. “I’m going to practice.” 

“Me too hyung,” Beomgyu says enthusiastically, scrambling to his feet.

Taehyun cracks his knuckles. “I’m already finished, so…should we call Doyoon-hyung too?” 

Soobin sighs as he looks down at his homework. He’s nowhere near done, and his mother would kill him if she knew. 

“Go without me guys, I really need to get this finished,” Soobin says reluctantly. “Don’t practice too hard, don’t want you to be sore for tomorrow.”

“Umm…” Kai chews his lip as he stares down at his papers. “I’ll stay too, I better not get behind since I just transferred…” 

“Ooh.” Yeonjun waggles his eyebrows. “Have fun then,” he says, voice laden with suggestion. Soobin rolls his eyes at him.

“Get out already.” 

Before long, the scratches of pencil on paper and the fan are the only sounds in the room. They work silently for the better part of an hour before Kai murmurs his name softly.

“Soobin-hyung?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think you can help me with this math problem? I’m not getting the right answer…” 

Soobin hates math with a passion, actually hates it, but there have been more extreme things he’d been willing to do for Kai (where does he start: morning runs with Kai, going on a gross protein diet with him to build muscle so he doesn’t have to suffer alone, practicing drop shots in scorching heat just because Kai thought they would “look cool” if they’d perfected them, the list goes on…), so instead of complaining, he just motions for Kai to give him his workbook.

Kai smiles and scoots closer as Soobin frowns at the problem, trying to remember the process of how to solve it, through his brain abruptly short-circuits when Kai rests his chin on his shoulder. And he is perhaps beyond salvation when the younger follows up with a hand pressed softly against his stomach, and maybe he should be used to this by now, the surprising clinginess and affection Kai showers onto everyone, but he’s not, he doesn’t know when he will be either (though that thought is made with the assumption that Kai will do this often enough until Soobin does eventually get used to it, which isn’t a possibility that he can handle right now). 

There are times when Soobin thinks Kai’s dropping hints with the way his touches always linger, or when he catches the younger peeking at him, or the fact that it’s usually him who’s the target of Kai’s belly rubs or random glomps. 

(There is a particularly vivid memory of Kai leaning in during one sleepover, surrounded by their sleeping teammates. 

_“Hyung,”_ he’d whispered into the dark, and Soobin had turned around in his sleeping bag to see Kai much closer than he’d expected, breath ghosting over his face with pink lips slightly parted, eyes sleepy but intense, his delicate features framed by dark bed hair. 

For a moment Soobin had thought, _This is it._

But then someone rolled over in their sleep and Kai startled away with nothing more than a, “Good night, hyung.” 

And Soobin learned that that sort of disappointment ached more than the disappointment that came with losing.)

Soobin blinks, hesitating only slightly before clasping his hand over Kai’s, another motion that’s tiptoeing the line of friendship and “something else”, but leaves them both enough room for deniability if need be. That deniability falters a little when Kai finishes interlacing their fingers, tugging their hands over to his lap as he leans in closer, crowding against Soobin in a way that makes him hyper-aware that all he needs to do is turn his head just so, and—

He pushes too hard against the page and the lead on his mechanical pencil snaps. Kai giggles, a light and airy sound, and Soobin tries not to flush in embarrassment as he tightens his grip on Kai’s hand. Thank god he recognizes the problem, because he doesn’t think he can spare the brain cells to brute force precalculus when all of them are hyper-focused on Kai.

He doesn’t know how, but he manages to fumble through a halfway decent explanation. Before Kai pulls away, since they don’t have an excuse to hold hands anymore (not that they really had one to begin with), Soobin gathers up what little courage he has.

“Hey, Kai-ya?” he murmurs, learning over so that their noses are close enough to touch, pausing briefly even though he’s dying to know if Kai likes him back (even if the chances feel like a million to one). 

“Hmm?” Kai squeezes his hand, and that’s a good sign, right? Because if he’s reading this wrong, then he’s booking a one way ticket to ruining their friendship. Then Kai, very carefully, bites his bottom lip, giving him the prettiest brown doe eyes he’d ever seen, tempting, tantalizing, making Soobin’s control fray at the edges. 

He wants to ruin their friendship _so_ badly right now.

“Can I…” he trails off as the younger’s eyes flutter shut when Soobin draws impossibly closer, the air between them heavy with anticipation.

Soobin still can’t quite believe that he’s doing this, he’s _really doing this_ , the press of Kai’s body against his warm and intoxicating, his heart pounding as their breaths mingle and he finally closes his eyes, dipping slightly to angle their lips together—

And then his mother knocks loudly on the door.

“Soobinie, I brought some snacks for your friends!” 

(Though they don’t fully recover from that moment, at least Kai still lets him hold his hand, though permanent blushes stain their cheeks.)

* * *

Sanctuary’s number five is much weaker than Kai had been. Soobin defeats him soundly and finds that Kai finished around the same time, and Yeonjun as usual wins his match first. When Beomgyu walks off the court with another win, the coaches decide to go ahead and start a doubles match, even though it’s looking pretty grim for Sanctuary at 4-0 and at an away game to boot. They’re placed on a distant court so as to not distract the singles matches that were still ongoing.

Kai smiles at Hyeongjun across the net. “You ready to lose?” 

“For the first time, one of us will,” Hyeongjun says. “Don’t get distracted by your new partner.” He winks. 

Kai laughs, but Soobin sees the way he hides his reddening cheeks with his hand. It’s adorable. 

“Congratulations Minhee, you’ll do great,” Kai adds, still slightly covering his face. “Just not against me.” 

The tall blond sticks out his tongue. “You’re so annoying.” 

They shake hands, and before they know it, Soobin’s starting off with the first serve. 

It’s an ace.

Oh, but they _soar._

They win both sets 6-0. It’s a complete wipeout. 

“Guess it’s your victory this time,” Hyeongjun says, bowing dramatically. 

“Guess so,” Kai says, and he hugs both of his former teammates. Soobin meets his eyes and nods, knowing that the younger hadn’t been in much contact with them other than over texts. He takes Kai’s racket with him, smiling at the colorful string he always uses—for the past few days, they’ve been green and purple. 

He doesn’t have to wait long before Kai bounds over. 

“Thanks,” he breathes with barely contained excitement—with their win, it’s Arcadia’s official first for the season, a perfect 5-0 without the need to play out the rest of the matches. 

Soobin wraps an arm around Kai, even though they’re both still sweaty, the sun showing no signs of setting. 

“You did amazing.” 

“ _We_ did amazing,” Kai corrects, and Soobin doesn’t remember the moments between, doesn’t remember exactly when Kai takes his hat off before he kisses him, a tentative peck at first that quickly dissolves into the messy slide of lips punctuated by the hint of tongue and the desperation that blooms violently in the heat between them. 

Soobin threads a hand in Kai’s still damp hair—between the sweat and the fact that he’d been holding his racket for at least a couple of hours now, it’s kind of really gross, but to say that the thought even crosses his mind is a blatant lie, because all he can think of is how perfect Kai’s mouth feels against his as he angles their kiss deeper. One of Kai’s hands fists his uniform, the other hand remains clenched around his hat; Soobin doesn’t know how much time passes, just that seconds and minutes feel the same but somehow much too short either way, because too soon he hears Yeonjun call them in exasperation. 

“Oh my god you two, you know that we’re supposed to speak with the reporters right? They’ve been waiting on you!” 

“Oops,” Kai murmurs as they part, looking slightly dazed as he sucks in his bottom lip. It makes Soobin want to kiss him again.

He’s responsible, though. And the captain. Fuck. “Coming, sorry!” Soobin yells back.

“Fucking finally, though!” 

Of course, the whole team knows by the time they finish their respective interviews, and it’s a lot more conspicuous after their celebratory dinner when Kai leaves in Soobin’s car, the others exclaiming that they would just ride with Coach Bang for tonight so they could get their “space.” 

He hates them sometimes (the type of hate that one uses to replace the word _love_ because the enormity of the emotions he feels could not be adequately described with just that word). 

But he has to thank them, because it leads up to this moment, where the world narrows down to just him and Kai and their breathing in between the _I like yous_ and the press of lips again, though this time it’s soft and unhurried, because like in tennis, love means the beginning, but Kai, his everything, makes the word mean something so much more.

* * *

_Pause. Rewind._

Kai was fourteen and a little aimless. He enjoyed tennis, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play it his whole life, like his father had, like his sisters currently were. He liked his team well enough, they’re good friends, although a bit thirsty to reclaim the championship after they lost to Arcadia last year for the first time in a long time. 

Arcadia’s number four had a firm handshake and eyes that curved like macarons when he smiled. Kai was waiting for his turn at the water fountain when he first saw him laughing loudly in the middle of a story, a story that Kai didn’t even remember the day after, unlike the boy who had told it, tall with straight black hair and a friendly grin. 

Kai lost that day. 

“That backhand is incredible though,” Arcadia’s number four had said. “I’ve never felt so excited in a game before. You’re amazing.”

That marked the day Kai asked his father to continue his lessons. 

* * *

_Fast forward._

It’s almost in the middle of the season when Soobin scores his first challenge match win against Kai. 

“Arcadia’s number four sounds good,” Soobin says smugly as they shake hands. Soobin gets it, now. Maybe being doubles partners sped up that process, but like Yeonjun had said, Kai had always observed his playstyle far beyond the level of being rivals. 

Soobin just finally returned that level of attention to his boyfriend.

“Don’t expect to keep it,” Kai teases. “Also, you’re always number one in my heart.” He winks. 

Soobin retaliates with a quick kiss, hoping that nobody was watching, but of course the courts immediately erupt with outrage. 

“The rest of us are single, you know!”

“Get a room!” 

“No PDA at practice!” 

“Choi Soobin, Huening Kai, take ten laps,” Coach Bang orders through thinly concealed amusement. 

“Yes Coach,” they say in unison. 

“This is all your fault for always flirting,” Soobin grumbles as he makes sure his laces are tight, “I hate running.”

Kai chuckles. “Love you too.” 

Soobin’s cheeks redden. “L-Like that…” 

“Well, we’re already running, so might as well make this worth it.” Kai leans in, mouth hot against his, managing to brush his tongue briefly against Soobin’s before Coach Bang interrupts. 

“ _Twenty_ laps!” 

_“Kai Kamal Huening!”_ Soobin yells, but the younger just giggles and takes off, though not without another provocative wink. 

Oh, that rascal is _so_ dead when he catches him.

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/yourcutiekai) & [ask](https://curiouscat.me/dracometria) >3<♡
> 
> working on a lot of things here and there hhhhh also started a sookai socmed au on my twt that i think i'm going to continue if you're interested in that ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ i wanna finish a drabble soon too for you're my gum hhh 
> 
> anyway yes i love tennis please feel free to chat to me about it on twt or anything else (lu keran) (txt) (other things) i am friendly ٩( ᐛ )و


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